Background: Women partaking in businesses as entrepreneurs is a field getting increased attention in Palestine. Women’s underutilized economic potential along with entrepreneurial activity as a key driver behind economic progress, make the field of women entrepreneurship in Palestine a matter of importance. The agricultural sector is one of the larger for Palestinian women employment, which is why it might attract aspiring entrepreneurs. With investments from Palestinian authorities as well as NGOs, directed towards developing Palestinian women entrepreneurship, one could argue that the opportunities for women to become entrepreneurs exist. But what is the opinion of the women entrepreneurs themselves regarding existing possibilities and obstacles?Purpose of the study: To examine the process for women entrepreneurs of establishing and running micro companies in the agricultural sector on the West Bank in order to highlight the possibilities and obstacles that they experience.Methodological framework: The study had a qualitative approach in which we conducted semi-structured interviewes with eleven women entrepreneurs, active in agriculture.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that women enter entrepreneurship out of necessity as well as reasons more connected to self fulfilment and grasping at possibly profitable business opportunities. Previous experience in agriculture affected both the willingness to start a business and proved helpful for the entrepreneurial success. Notable challenges were found in marketing, legal matters and the physically tiring work. Most of our respondents did not concentrate on developing the support activities connected to their businesses, directing more of their attention towards primary activities. Our respondents also made use of networks, spanning from private connections to professional contacts.

Magister Commercii - MCom / A possible effect of quantitative easing (QE) undertaken by the United States of America (USA) Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) may have been an increase in capital flowing into emerging market economies (EMEs). The 2008 global financial crisis created an environment in which traditional monetary policies – cutting policy rates – became ineffective in stimulating growth. Faced with this policy environment, several high-income countries including the USA resorted to unconventional monetary policies notably QE, to grow their economies. While QE was effective in lowering interest rates in high-income countries, some argued that investors switched to higher yielding assets, mostly EME assets. Therefore, QE is perceived to have increased capital flows into EMEs. Using a dynamic panel data model with fixed effects this mini-thesis investigates empirically whether QE worked through unobservable channels to increase gross private capital inflows to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in the period 2000-2015. The study finds evidence in support of the view that QE increased capital inflows to EMEs. The results reveal that gross private capital inflows to the BRICS increased during the QE intervention period and that the increase was higher in the first period of QE than in subsequent QE periods. The empirical results also reveal differences in the way types of capital flows responded to QE; portfolio flows, and in particular equity flows were the most responsive to QE.

In the latest time, the US has had an easy Monetary Policy. Because of the increasing link among the countries through interconnections on international trade, financial, and labor markets, such policy has not only had effects in the US economy, but also in the rest of the world. So many countries, especially emerging and developing countries, have suggested that such a policy has been causing an excessive flow of funds out of the US which are disrupting the exchange rate and competitiveness of those countries. An innovation of the analysis is that capital flows are divided in "Firm related" (direct investment and equity flows) and "Debt" (debt instruments and private loans obtained from foreign financial institutions). Another innovation is related to the measure of the external factors considering the US alone and a compound of Advanced Countries (AC) that includes: the US, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan. The performed analysis indicates that the US Monetary Policy has been having a role on the determination of the capital flows to the Latin America Countries (LAC). However, these external "push factors" have been less important than the "pull factors" from Latin America. In the model, the "push factors" reflected to have had influence on the total capital flows, especially through the global liquidity proxies measured by the growth of the monetary stock in the AC. Holding all other things constant, one percent increase in the monetary stock in the US will generate capital flows to the LAC for an amount between 0.47 to 1.71 percentages of GDP. This effect is bigger when using the proxy constructed with the US alone than when using the compound of AC. The long term interest rate registered significance only on the "Firm related" type of capital flows and only when using the compound of AC. The performed analysis also indicates that there is preeminence of the "pull" (domestic) over the "push" (external) factors. This means that the LAC have been pursuing actions such as political stability, sound and consistent economic policies, and more market oriented policies that are attracting capital flows by themselves.

No description available.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / A possible effect of quantitative easing (QE) undertaken by the United States of America (USA) Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) may have been an increase in capital flowing into emerging market economies (EMEs). The 2008 global financial crisis created an environment in which traditional monetary policies – cutting policy rates – became ineffective in stimulating growth. Faced with this policy environment, several high-income countries including the USA resorted to unconventional monetary policies notably QE, to grow their economies. While QE was effective in lowering interest rates in high-income countries, some argued that investors switched to higher yielding assets, mostly EME assets. Therefore, QE is perceived to have increased capital flows into EMEs. Using a dynamic panel data model with fixed effects this mini-thesis investigates empirically whether QE worked through unobservable channels to increase gross private capital inflows to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in the period 2000-2015. The study finds evidence in support of the view that QE increased capital inflows to EMEs. The results reveal that gross private capital inflows to the BRICS increased during the QE intervention period and that the increase was higher in the first period of QE than in subsequent QE periods. The empirical results also reveal differences in the way types of capital flows responded to QE; portfolio flows, and in particular equity flows were the most responsive to QE. / 2018-12-14

Syfte och forskningsfråga: Syftet med studien är att undersöka varför kinesiska studenter väljer att studera på universitetsnivå i Sverige. Med detta syfte i åtanke formulerades följande forskningsfrågor: Vilka faktorer spelar in i kinesiska studenters beslut att studera utomlands? Vilka faktorer spelar in i kinesiska studenters jämförelse av olika studiedestinationer? Hur spelar dessa faktorer in vid beslutet att studera i Sverige? Metod: Metodvalet för denna uppsats är av kvalitativ karaktär och forskningsansatsen är deduktiv. Den empiriska datan bygger på åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med kinesiska studenter som valt studera i Sverige under minst sex månader. Empiri till uppsatsens förstudie består av tre semistrukturerade samtal med personal från Linnéuniversitetet, som har en relevant koppling till det valda ämnet. Slutsats: Kinesiska studenter påverkas starkt av rekommendationer och råd från alumner med erfarenhet av att studera i Sverige. Studien ger indikationer på att råd och rekommendationer från sociala länkar med egna erfarenheter har en stark inverkan på beslutet vid köp av en högengagemangstjänst i en kultur med en hög grad av Hofstedes kulturella dimensioner: kollektivism och osäkerhetsundvikande. / Purpose and research question: The aim of the thesis is to examine why Chinese students choose Sweden as a destination for studies abroad. With the above stated purpose in mind, the research questions are as follow: What factors influence Chinese students’ decision- making of studying abroad? What factors influence Chinese students comparison between different study destinations? How do these factors affect the decision to study in Sweden? Method: The study is based in a qualitative research method. The empirical data is collected through a pilot study with three semi-structured interviews with staff from Linnaeus University and a study with eight semi- structured interviews with Chinese students that currently are studying in Sweden or have studied in Sweden. Conclusion: Chinese students are highly affected by recommendations from alumni with experience from studying in Sweden. The result of the study indicate the importance of advice and recommendations from social links with similar experiences in the decision making when buying a high-involvement service in a culuture with a high degree of Hofstedeés cultural dimensions: collectivism and uncertainty avoidance.

Magister Public Health - MPH / This secondary data study, framed in social constructionism theory, descibes and analyses the "pull" factors influencing migration of health professionals developing to developed countries. The literature review sets the context withing which international migration takes place and explores relevant aspects of the G8, globalisation, and the General Agreement on Trade in Services. The research demonstrates that temporary or permanent international migration occurs for employment or study purposes. It further confirms that, despite the lack of accurate data from African counties, the number of health professionals leaving the continent has increased significantly during the 1990's. / South Africa

Little empirical research has been done on the opportunities presented to the event management profession by the significant growth in the size, scope, length and visibility of the tourism industry, as indicated by hallmark events such as numerous world fairs, festivals and sport events. The aim of this research was to determine the motivational factors that push and pull the local residents of Potchefstroom, South Africa, to attend and participate in the Aardklop National Arts Festival (Aardklop Festival), as well as the situational inhibitors that discourage them from participating in the festival. The specific festival activities they enjoyed most were also identified. The research for this dissertation was undertaken in Potchefstroom where the Aardklop Festival has been held annually since 1998. This is one of the largest arts festivals in South Africa and highly popular on the annual events calendar. The findings of the research are significant as they may promote the sustainability of the Aardklop Festival in South Africa's growing and competitive festival and events market by assisting the festival management to gain greater insight into strategies for profitable marketing and future communication. The research findings may assist event organisers not only to understand the importance of research, but also to consider and understand the needs of the local residents in the host community, since various authors have indicated that these residents play a pivotal role in the sustainability of a festival. Copyright / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Tourism Management / unrestricted

As the growth of Internationalisation of Higher Education shifts from former dominant nations like USA, Canada, England and Australia to other nations in Europe and Asia such as Germany, Sweden, Japan and Singapore, this study seeks to understand the decision-making process of an International Student looking to study at a Swedish University. Borrowing from previous studies, the ‘push and pull factors’ are used as the main theoretical reference as well as in discussion of the findings. Specific factors special to Sweden and the European Union in general such as visa policies and tuition fees are also discussed. For empirical data, international students already undertaking various master’s programmes as well as former master’s students at the Swedish university answer an online questionnaire pertaining to: decision to study abroad, decision to study in Sweden and decision to study at the particular Swedish University. Moreover, empirical data includes an interview with a representative of the university under analysis. In-depth analyses of data using Standard Deviation (SD), calculation of p value, ANOVA and Tukey’s tests are also performed to give clear comparisons of the various data sets such as ‘programme specialisation’ and ‘home country’ and their influence on the decision-making process. Personal satisfaction and better career prospects are identified as the major ‘push factors’. Programme quality and requirements, Sweden’s quality of life and health of environment, safe place to study, and location in the European Union are identified as main ‘pull factors’. It is found out that the home country of international students has a huge influence on their decisions to study abroad/ in Sweden/ at a certain university, although specialization also has influence, it appears to be drastically less. The findings have important implications in helping aspiring students make informed decisions as they consider choice of country and university, as well as implications for Higher Education Institutions as they respond to the demands created by globalisation of higher education, and subsequently endeavour to attract more international students through marketing or curriculum development of their programmes.

Inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) into Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) between 2000 and 2014 remained a minute fraction (at only 2% and 1% respectively) of global inflows. This study seeks to explain this phenomenon by examining the push (global) and pull (domestic) factors that may help to explain inflows of FDI and FPI in SSA and the mechanisms through which these factors affect inflows (the how). As ongoing regional integration efforts in Africa through trading blocs, the study also discusses the role of regional trading blocs in explaining capital flows into SSA. In the process, the research challenges some of the established theories and contributes to policy for managing international capital inflows. The study identifies possible explanatory variables from existing theory and empirical studies. Data on possible determinants of FDI and FPI is largely extracted from the World Bank and IMF databases. The determinants considered are macro-economic, infrastructural, institutional, resource endowment and geographical related. These are modeled into econometric model of FDI and FPI. Several hypotheses on the possible determinants are then tested using panel regressions with random effects. The results indicate that SSA's FDI during the period reviewed is mainly pulled by macroeconomic dynamics, infrastructure and human resources factors and pushed by global macroeconomic performance. Likewise, FPI is largely pulled by GDP and infrastructure factors. The results further show that FDI and FPI inflows in regional trading blocs of SADC, COMESA and ECOWAS are affected by different risk, return, macroeconomic, trade and distance factors. The effects of factors such as distance and macroeconomic factors also vary across the regional trading blocs, suggesting their importance of these blocs in capital flows.